breastfeeding

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nichola_ali
nichola_ali Posts: 2 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Hi baby is 11 weeks old and I'm exclusively breastfeeding....I have used this app before successfully but I am wondering what I should put as my daily calories goal? I want to loose the baby weight but just by eating healthy and tracking my food as I tend to eat without thinking! & it all adds up! Obviously not planning on crazy low calorie limit as will burn some cals whilst feeding and still want to produce enough milk etc. Any advise? Thanks

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  • WinterSkies
    WinterSkies Posts: 940 Member
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    You should probably have a chat with your doctor or a dietician to see what a reasonable deficit is in their opinion. In my case, I am nursing an almost 10 month old. I weigh all of my food with a food scale and I add 300 extra calories per day, as she is also eating solids. It is working really well for me so far, as I have lost about 6 lb in 4 weeks. I am aiming for 1.5lb/week lost, so it is bang on right now. My milk production doesn't seem to be affected.

    If you are exclusively breastfeeding, you might want to eat back a higher number of calories, like 500. Also check out BF resources like La Leche League and Kellymom for calorie estimates. Perhaps start off with a small deficit and gradually increase it, while keeping an eye on your milk

    Good luck! You are brave taking this on with a three month old. :) I totally understand the eating without thinking. It is so easy to do when you are at home all day with baby!
  • capnhef
    capnhef Posts: 1 Member
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    I'll be interested to see what response you get as I thought about this too. My wee boy is now 8 months old and still breastfeeding, although we're getting to the end of that journey now.

    Anyway I just wanted to say that the weight just dropped off me from about 3 months onwards. I didn't alter my diet (although it was reasonably healthy anyway, but I really like cake!). It was pretty much just down to breastfeeding - you can burn 300-500 calories a day. I was also out with the pram every day which obviously helped (and pacing to get baby to sleep etc.).

    I'm now a dress size smaller and wondering how I'm going to keep the weight off when the breastfeeding stops :/

    Sorry that doesn't answer your question, but maybe you'll get lucky like me and get the best of both worlds!
  • Ninkyou
    Ninkyou Posts: 6,666 Member
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    http://community.myfitnesspal.com/en/discussion/10176233/gaining-weight-during-pregnancy-and-losing-it-post-partum might help.
  • mrssabre113
    mrssabre113 Posts: 24 Member
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    Mother who nursed for 2 years and a la leche league leader here. You body burn about 500-1000 calories alone just making milk. Breastfeeding mother's should keep the same amount of calories as they did while pregnant, add 300 more calories than your regular calorie intake. Make sure you are eating a healthy variety of foods. Just make sure you are eating enough nutritional foods and drinking plenty of water so your milk isn't affected or your health. If doesn't seem like enough food or your milk is affected try adding 100 more calories. Here's a good linkhttp://www.llli.org/nb/nbmarapr04p44.html
    Good luck!
  • mrssabre113
    mrssabre113 Posts: 24 Member
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    Oh and just be aware that some women do hold onto a few extra pounds while nursing.
  • nichola_ali
    nichola_ali Posts: 2 Member
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    Thank you guys sorry for late reply! Let's hope I'm one of those where weight starts to drop off around the 3 to 4 month mark...and makes sense for us to hold on to a little extra weight whilst we breastfeed. Think I will make a conscious effort to eat healthier with less chocolate for now and when my breastfeeding journey ends can step it up a little. You only breastfeed for a short spell in your life so may as well embrace it

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